Editorial: Nothing super about deficit reduction panel

Friday

Nov 25, 2011 at 12:01 AMNov 25, 2011 at 6:20 PM

To the surprise of few Americans and the chagrin of many, the Congressional “supercommittee” failed to save the day. The supercommittee, which was supposed to represent the best and brightest minds in Congress, ended its deliberations in a deadlock Monday.

To the surprise of few Americans and the chagrin of many, the Congressional “supercommittee” failed to save the day. The supercommittee, which was supposed to represent the best and brightest minds in Congress, ended its deliberations in a deadlock Monday.

And instead of working together to create compromise, Congress has again retreated to its familiar ideological ground and fingerpointing. President Barack Obama, meanwhile, has shown little leadership in trying to broker a compromise, taking a backseat when it comes to problem solving, but jumping into the driver’s seat to play the blame game.

Political brinksmanship has become a toxic force destroying the U.S. government from within. The hyperpartisanship that led to the formation of the supercommittee in the first place, to avoid an unprecedented default of the U.S. government back when it came time to raise the debt ceiling, proved to be too much to overcome.

Enter the fingerpointing and the same partisan refrains: “We simply could not overcome the Republican insistence on making tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans permanent,” U.S. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., said. “This was simply doctrine for some of our Republican colleagues, even as many worked very hard in good faith to find a better way forward.”

A Republican member of the supercommittee, Rep. Dave Camp, R-Mich., said, “It is deeply regrettable that my Democrat colleagues could not see their way to addressing these much-needed reforms without at least $1 trillion in job-killing tax increases on families and employers.”

Sound familiar?

Instead of recognizing that we have both a revenue problem and a spending problem, each side blames the other for failed fiscal policies and ignores the facts. The familiar phrases in Washington have become “all or nothing” and “take it or leave it.” It’s gotten to the point that both sides are poisoning the nation’s economy to play to the extremist ends of their political bases.

What are we left with? A broken government. In the absence of a deal, $1.2 trillion in automatic cuts are supposed to go into effect in 2013. But that may be just another way to pass the buck. This Congress can’t compel such a move for the next Congress. The political landscape could change significantly in next year’s elections — and it should, given Congress’ incompetence.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, saying he’s “never been more concerned about the ability of Congress to forge common sense solutions to the nation’s pressing problems,” warns that massive cuts in defense spending could create a “hollow force incapable of sustaining the missions it is assigned.” Ironically, Panetta’s doomsday prediction perfectly describes this hollow Congress. Meanwhile, for a region like ours that depends heavily on military contractors for the few jobs that still remain, get ready to kiss more jobs goodbye once the other shoe drops on the Pentagon.

Maybe we need forced consequences for inaction these days in Washington that punish everyone. Maybe we all have to see for ourselves what high taxes do to destroy family budgets, and see if they really kill jobs and destroy the economy. Maybe we need to see what life is like without an infusion of federal government cash in Fall River and cities and towns across America. Maybe we have to struggle with cuts in entitlement programs that we’ve been promised. Maybe then voters will stop re-electing arrogant, ineffective and entrenched politicians. Maybe more people will actually bother to vote and demand accountability.

For far too long, the United States has continued its wasteful ways. Now, it looks like it’s time to cut up the nation’s credit card and live within our means. It’s just too bad that this all had to come at a time when our finances are so weak that we have to sacrifice the basics instead of cutting the waste and luxuries. It’s unfortunate that reckless spending cuts or tax hikes could send our fragile world economy into a long, deep economic depression.

When it comes to most matters in life, the truth is usually somewhere in the middle. Congress could have cut the $15 trillion national debt the smart way, without destabilizing the national and world economies and further weakening the markets that most of us now rely on for retirement income. Instead, Congress is guided by ideology rather than economic reality.

Since Congress has clearly proven an inability to do its job, perhaps the first automatic reduction in spending ought to cut the salaries of Congressional members and the president immediately and indefinitely until they can get the job done. It probably won’t happen, but it should.

Herald News

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